The present invention relates to electrical connector structure, particularly to an electrical connector having a socket with opposed, resilient beams for receiving and engaging a male contact, and an integral solder tail adapted to be soldered to a printed circuit board into which the solder tail projects. It also relates to structure supporting the connector in an insulator housing.
Broadly speaking, electrical connectors having sockets with opposed, resilient beams and integral solder tails are well known. They have taken many and varied forms, as shown, for example, by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,467,944; 3,663,931 and 3,824,557. Those patents show sockets with opposed, flat sided resilient beams forming rectangular target areas for guiding male contacts into engagement therewith. They also show different types of solder tails.
Another type of electrical connector has also been manufactured by the assignee of the present invention. That connector has a socket with opposed beams defining an elliptical target area and a planar solder tail which is offset from the central axis of the socket.
The present invention is directed to an improvement in an electrical connector with a socket having resilient, opposed beams and an integral solder tail. The connector of the invention is believed to provide substantial advantages over previous such electrical connectors.
Specifically, known electrical connectors with resilient opposed beam-type sockets and integral solder tails have presented target areas for male contacts which are relatively small. Further, previous electrical connectors with resilient opposed beam-type sockets and integral solder tails have presented difficulties in terms of alignment with the male contact. This has been a particular problem when the connectors are grouped closely together in an insulator housing block and are designed to engage a plurality of closely grouped male contacts. During assembly of the solder tails with the printed circuit board the sockets can become skewed relative to their original axis, and relative to their intended alignment for receiving the male contacts. When a group of male contacts are to be inserted into the sockets, the skewed sockets may prevent the insertion of some of the male contacts into the sockets. This can prevent the efficient engagement of a group of male contacts with respective sockets.
The invention is directed to a connector with a socket formed by resilient, opposed beams and an integral solder tail, and particularly to a connector which is constructed so as to minimize problems due to misalignment of the socket with a male contact, and without any sacrifice of the effectiveness of the electrical connector between the male contact and the socket.
In a connector according to the invention the resilient, opposed beams of the socket are designed to provide a circular target area for receipt of the male contact. The invention provides a large circular target area which helps provide excellent mechanical and electrical contact performance.
Further, in the connector of the invention, the socket is movable radially and axially relative to the solder tail in order to enable the socket to move and flex relative to the solder tail to compensate for misalignment of the socket with the male contact which is to be received by the socket.
Still further, the connector of the present invention is constructed such that the socket not only mates with a misaligned male member, but also realigns with the solder tail upon removal of the male contact. Thus, the connector would be readily engageable with another male contact which is properly aligned with the socket.
The capability of the socket to flex relative to the solder tail, and realign with the solder tail is due in part to specially formed locking tabs which retain the socket in the insulator housing. The locking tabs extend in opposite angular directions relative to the central axis of the connector. The tabs have a resilient engagement with the underside of the insulator housing and function not only to retain the socket contact in the insulator housing, but also to allow the socket to float somewhat in the housing to accommodate misalignment with a male contact. Further, they provide a force which tends to center the socket contact in the insulator.
In the connector of the invention, radial flexibility of the socket relative to the solder tail is further enhanced by the fact that a relatively thin, flexible, integral interconnection, including the locking tabs, is provided between the socket and the solder tail. The socket and the solder tail, and a portion of flexible interconnection therebetween are generally coaxial, to minimize socket deformation during mating.